My Godzilla Marathon

Showa Series

The first Godzilla film ever released, Godzilla (1954) was not a B movie like it's future sequels. In fact, the movie took itself very seriously, and for good reason. At its heart, Godzilla has an important message to tell about nuclear destruction, and the filmmakers themselves experienced such devastation during World War II.

It's not a perfect film, but it's definitely understandable why it's such a cult classic. The monster Godzilla is actually quite a scary presence, and the Black and White cinematography adds to it. The special effects are fantastic considering the film was made in the 50s, and you have to respect all the shots they managed to capture - I mean, making a guy in a rubber suit a threatening symbol of nuclear destruction and pulling it off! Hats off to them!

Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964) - the title says it all! The film pits Godzilla and Mothra (who has already starred in her own movie) against each other, and it's one hell of an enjoyable movie. Mothra is a great monster, likeable and quite elegant as well. The idea of Godzilla fighting a giant moth may sound stupid, but their fight sequence is actually a lot of fun. It's not a masterpiece, but it delivers on what it promises.

Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (1965) was the first Godzilla film to introduce aliens and space invaders to the franchise. It adds a nice little campy quality to the series, and that's all good. However, this film does take a while to get going, and most of the human characters are just really boring. I know you don't watch monster movies for the humans, but here, there's hardly any monster action. However, the fight between Godzilla and the token monster villain, King Khidora, is great. Another monster, Rhodan, is thrown in also to help out Godzilla with the battle. There aren't a lot of fight sequences, but when the action gets going, it's great.

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) is considered one of the worst Godzilla films. In some ways, I can understand that. It takes almost an hour before Godzilla appears, and his rival, the Sea Monster (also known as Ebirah), is kind of boring. However, the human characters of the film are surprisingly likeable and a lot of fun. Most of the scenes involving the humans are legitimately enjoyable to watch, and although it takes a while for the fights to get going, they're still entertaining to watch. However, this film is infamous for having one of the worst monster fights ever - a brawl between Godzilla and an eagle. Yeah, that sequence was horrid.

Son of Godzilla (1967) is very much a geared to children. Once a symbol of nuclear destruction, Godzilla is now a father! This is definitely a film that shouldn't be taken seriously. There's a lot to laugh at here. The plot revolves around a group of people who are stuck on an island inhabited by Godzilla and other giant monsters. The film follows their attempts to escape the island. This is the main issue I had with the film - the human characters are just uninteresting, and the film spends too much time with them.

The main star of the film is Godzilla's son, who has hilarious and often adorable interactions with his dad. While he may not look at all like Godzilla, there's a sweet little father-son relationship that is beautifully done. The fight sequences are alright, but the humour is fantastic. Also, the ending is absolutely heart-warming. It's an achievement for a Godzilla film to make me a shed a tear, and Son of Godzilla did just that. It's not good, but it's good fun.

Destroy All Monsters (1968) is essentially The Avengers for Toho. The studio had already created some kind of cinematic universe with their monster flicks, with many of these characters (Mothra and Rhodan) crossing over many times into Godfilla films. This was actually supposed to be the last of the Godzilla films, so Toho raised the budget and made sure it was epic.

Destroy All Monsters is a lot of fun. While it does take a while for the action to get going, it is fun to see all the monsters in the same movie. Godzilla obviously gets the most attention, while some monsters only have brief cameo appearances such as Barugon. The climatic sequence where all the monsters fight King Ghidora is simply epic. One of the most memorable monster fights of all time.

Godzilla's Revenge (1969) is by far the worst of the Godzilla films. This doesn't even qualify as fun! All the battle scenes are simply sequences ripped from other Godzilla films. It could basically be a 'best-of' compilation. The film is essentially targeted at kids, but that doesn't excuse how lazy of an effort this is. Some Godzilla films are so bad that they're actually fun to watch. I can't say the same for Godzilla's Revenge. You can't even watch it for a laugh. There's no moment of enjoyment here. The only positive I can say about the film is its short running time - it never overstays its welcome.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) is really weird. It's definitely a step up from Godzilla's Revenge, but it still has major flaws. For one, Godzilla has been relugated to a earth loving superhero. Something like Captain Planet. This time, his foe is Hedorah, whose pretty much a giant turd. There are strange moments throughout the film that have absolutely no place. Some of them are quite hilarious actually. The fights are fun though, and Hedorah makes for an effective villain.

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) is a drastic change from the tone of Godzilla's Revenge and Godzilla vs. Hedorah. While those films were targeted at kids, Godzilla vs. Gigan is actually darker. There are shades of horror, and a bit of gratuitous violence as well.
It's without a doubt a horrible movie. The story is generic, and the fights become boring due to repetitive usage of stock footage from Destroy All Monsters. However, it's still an amusingly entertaining monster flick. The saving grace is actually Gigan. He's quite an interesting villain, and the final fight sequence is a lot of fun. The unintentional humour (Godzilla talking?) is also enjoyable.

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)... Wow. This is absolutely hilarious fun. I can not stress enough how enjoyable this film is. There's plenty of action, and there's FOUR monsters all together in this. New to the franchise are Megalon and Jet Jaguar, and they're great. There are some hilarious moments like Godzilla's flying kick, and the Jet Jaguar song - everyone on the planet must listen to it. This is great fun!

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) is an absolutely fantastic B-Movie. This is just so much fun to watch. The story involves a terminator-like Godzilla controlled by aliens that ravages through Japan. This 'Mechagodzilla' soon comes face to face with the real Godzilla, and oh boy, what a great fight they have. The downside is definitely King Caesar, who is a giant Lion God. The weirdest monster ever! He was such a bore. That being said, every fight sequence was amazing. This is a great Godzilla film, enjoyably campy and technically solid.

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) is a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and it delivers! Directed by Ishirô Honda, who directed the original Godzilla film, this is one of my favourite movies of the series. It's absolutely spectacular. Everything is spot on. I was invested in the story, and the action is sensational. This time, Godzilla is up against Mechagodzilla, and Titanosaurus. Titanosaurus is basically a more aquatic version of Godzilla, and their fights are terrific to watch. The stakes a definitely raised this time as Godzilla has no allies, and the destruction is relentless... IN A GOOD WAY. This was actually supposed to be the last of the Godzilla films, and wow, it's a pretty excellent way to go out.

Heisei Series

Godzilla vs. King Ghidora brings one of Godzilla's most popular villains to the Heisei series, King Ghidora. Now, my expectations were pretty high for this flick. Many fans have considered it to be one of the best of the franchise. I was slightly disappointed in what I got. My main problem is there is too much focus on the human characters. I respect that the filmmakers tried to tell a more compelling story about time travel, but this is a Godzilla movie! It takes a whole hour before anything happens. However, when the film starts the action, it's terrific. The final 30 minutes is exactly what I wanted. Absolutely entertaining fights between Godzilla and Ghidora. It definitely made up for the slow beginning.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth really exceeded my expectations. I have to say this is a great monster movie. It's a shame this is such an overlooked entry in the Godzilla series as I feel it's definitely one of the best. The film is very similar to the original Godzilla vs. Mothra. It has similar characters and almost the same message about protecting the environment. The main difference is that this is definitely Mothra's movie. Godzilla actually doesn't have that much screentime, which may be a negative for some fans. However, I love the character of Mothra, and she has a decent upgrade to her design in this new movie. The fights are epic, and the new monster, Battra, is a terrific addition. What really surprised me about the film is how much heart it had. There's a really sweet story at the center of the film, and it really caught me off guard. Overall, I think this is one of my favourite Godzilla films. It's got a great and simply story to follow, and all the action sequences are fantastic.

Similar to Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth, the next film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II exceeded my expectations in every way. The production value on this entry has improved significantly, with three classic Godzilla characters getting an updated look. Rhodan looks great in this, and the new Mechagodzilla is absolutely badass. This time he actually looks like he's made of metal. However, the standout is Baby Godzilla. They did a fantastic job with the design of this infant Godzilla, making him look like dangerous and adorable at the same time. Baby Godzilla also adds a lot to the story, and like with Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth, there's a surprising amount of the heart to the film. There's a really touching relationship that grows between Baby Godzilla and one of the human characters. The final battle sequence lasts a whole 30 minutes, and it is spectacular. Overall, I can't recommend this enough. With plenty of action and a heartfelt story, you can't go wrong with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.

Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla is probably the weakest entry in the Heisei series. While it does deliver the action in a spectacular climax, the film is so flawed that it starts to take away some of the enjoyment from all the battles. Firstly, there's too much going on with the plot. It's a crowded film, with a too many main characters and subplots. While it's nice to see Miki as the hero this time (she's mainly a recurring supporting character), some of the other main characters are uninteresting and don't feel necessary at all. Secondly, the villain is surprisingly a drawback. Space Godzilla never feels like much of a threat as he doesn't have a lot of screen time outside the battles. Sometimes his motivations aren't clear as well. However, the final battle is spectacular, and while it's not among the best monster fights I've seen, it's still entertaining as hell.

Man, there is something I'm not getting with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. My expectations were pretty high with this one, but alas, I was disappointed. I do think this is a good Godzilla film, but I didn't find it to be as great as everyone had been telling me it was. My main issue, similarly with Godzilla vs. King Ghidora, is that the film focuses way too much on a group of human characters we care nothing about. These characters take up so much of the first hour that it makes the experience kind of boring. Seriously, nothing of excitement happens until the last 40 minutes. That being said, I liked the way the story tied back to the original Godzilla film, and Destoroyah is one of the best Godzilla villains ever. Although it takes a while to get there, the climatic battle is epic. The film's ending works well to finish this series, although I did find it severely abrupt and quick. However, the end credits play over footage from past Godzilla films, and it really makes you feel sentimental. Overall, I do like this film, but I really wish I could love it. While the last action sequence was terrific, all the scenes leading up to it kind of bored me.

Millenium Series

Godzilla 2000 was a kaiju movie I loved watching as a kid. While it doesn't hold up as well now when I'm older, it's still a solid reboot to the series. Godzilla gets a great re-design, and the effects look a lot better. Another plus is he faces off against a new villain Orga. Normally in these reboot films, Godzilla's on his own, so it's nice to see him fighting another monster here. The story is pretty boring however, and the action is decent but not as good as some of the other Godzilla films of the past.